Jos Buttler serves England well with glorious half century to suggest he is missing piece in team's jigsaw

Little milestones can often supply the missing ingredient and England will be
hoping that the half-century scored by Jos Buttler against a New Zealand XI
in Whangarei will be the making of a special talent.

Rising star: Jos Buttler showed his international class with a half century against a New Zealand XI on TuesdayPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

Buttler has played 18 Twenty20 internationals for England and averages under 20 with the bat, a figure that does not begin to do justice to the extraordinary talent he showed in all its glory last Tuesday, as grown bowlers on the fringes of the New Zealand side were forced to seek the comfort of their mothers.

Helplessness is the worst feeling a bowler can experience and Buttler turned it into an epidemic at the Cobham Oval as he struck an unbeaten 57 off 24 balls to set up a winning total of 186 for England.

Once he was set, which took him about two balls after he joined Eoin Morgan at the crease in the 15th over, restricting him to a single was a triumph worthy of champagne as attempted yorkers were either flipped over the wicketkeeper's head or struck over long-off for six with crisp perfection. It is a scoring arc that encompasses 360 degrees and one that makes bowling to a field almost impossible when he is on song.

Morgan is no slouch, making 48 off 32 balls, but on this occasion Buttler made him look one. Every chancer can have his day in this format but England’s selectors clearly think that this is the start of something special by handing the 22-year old Buttler the wicketkeeping gloves for the forthcoming Twenty20 series ahead of Jonny Bairstow, another special young talent. It appears to be a late decision too as until last Monday, Bairstow fully expected to be behind the stumps.

The move suggests England want to give Buttler, a decent but not brilliant keeper, as much exposure as possible to realise his batting talent.

Whether Somerset (his county) and their keeper, Craig Kieswetter (whose England place Buttler has taken) will be so obliging, remains to be seen. Had he not be given the gloves then Buttler would probably have been the one to make way when Kevin Pietersen returns, and that would, potentially, have been a hindrance to his development.

Buttler’s innings on Tuesday certainly set up England’s winning position, which was more or less sealed once Chris Woakes had taken two early wickets. Stuart Broad later weighed in with a hat-trick in the 19th over of the home side’s innings, but Buttler’s innings would have lifted the entire team after they found themselves 62-2 at the halfway stage of the innings.

Getting a player settled in an international environment is rarely straightforward however talented they are. After his fifty, Buttler cited his 10-ball 32 against South Africa at Edgbaston last September, as the moment where he began to feel he belonged at this new level.

“After the game against South Africa I’ve settled a bit more into the England environment and I’m a bit more myself,” he said. “It gave me the confidence to play at this level.”

The arrival of Twenty20 has brought with it a proliferation of exotic strokes. While while many attempt them, however, few execute them with the success rate that Buttler managed the other day.

Andrew Ellis, the home side ­captain tasked with coming up with solutions to his virtuosity, noted how still he stood at the crease, which may enable him to pick the ball up early. Talents like Buttler’s tend to be instinctive, though he insists that he uses brain as much as brawn by picking up clues from the opposition.

“My scoop shots are premeditated but apart from that I’m looking for the ball in certain areas,” Buttler said. “You can get a rough idea of what someone is going to bowl by looking at their field and doing a bit of homework on certain bowlers. My game plan is generally to hit them straight or to play that scoop shot.”

The making of a great international cricketer can be a bit like a jigsaw puzzle, with one piece making all the difference between confusion and a coherent whole. With Buttler’s brilliant innings here on Tuesday, England will be hoping they have found that vital piece.